Violet Skies (hiatus, possibly discontinued)
by Herod
Summary: After her family is slaughtered by the Order of Shadows, Aerin is possessed by the vengeful Ionian demon, Ulciscor. Aerin leaves her blood-bathed home for the Institute of War, where she plans to utilize her power with the demon living inside of her. Friends are made, love is in the air, but one thing comes between all: revenge. *Not affiliated with E:G*
1. Bond

A/N: Hey guys, Drakkiron here. This is our new project, Violet Skies; a fanfiction written by me and Taejoon, link to his channel at the bottom of the chapter. As it says in the summary, this is not affiliated with Ezreal: Welcome to the Institute of War, my other fanfiction. For those who follow me, asking "Will there be lemons in this?" and the answer to that question is definitely, just not as much and not as quick as E:WTTIOW. Please read, follow/favorite the story or my page to keep updated on the work, and follow/favorite Taejoon as well!

A/N: Hihi, it's tae~ Thanks for coming to read our collab project! We worked hard coming up with this concept and making this chapter, so drop a review, follow, favorite, etc. if you want to. Since this story isn't affiliated with WTTIOW, we were able to create completely new characters for this story, so look forward to what we put out next! The first chapter might seem a little sloppy, and that's because we're still working stuff out with our two writing styles. So, bear with us, and hopefully we'll get better content out!

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

The Master of Shadows.

A familiar name the land of Ionia.

As he stealthily approached the shrine, he was having conflicted thoughts. A voice in his head urged him to stop, that he could still turn back.

This shrine was an important target to the Order of the Shadow. He pushed all doubt out of his head and went in.

It didn't take long to locate the room that held the Demon of Vengeance. The room was ice cold and filled with an eerie purplish glow, emanating from a box in the back of the room. Zed's armblade came out of his sleeve and and sliced open the lock on the box. The room went pitch-black, and became colder than before.

"It shouldn't take long for him to escape, now." Zed thought to himself.

Zed headed back to the door and slid it open again. He looked back into the dark room and smiled.

"We'll be back soon, Ulciscor."

* * *

"Aerin! Wake up! You have to clean before we open up to visitors!"

Aerin rolled over and fell out of the bed. Picking herself up off the floor, she went to the bathroom and showered before putting on her shrine maiden outfit and went out to clean the grounds. She stifled a yawn and began the tedious task of cleaning. Her family ran a shrine just outside of a major Ionian city, and with the New Year coming in a few days, this was a particularly busy time for a shrine like this one. Once she was done with cleaning the grounds, she got a new broom and went to clean the inside of the buildings.

"…Hide…" a voice whispered.

Aerin looked around. Nothing. She glanced towards the door where the Demon was held. Aerin blinked furiously a couple of times. She rubbed her eyes. "I must be super tired.."

She shook her head and continued cleaning.

"…Runnn…"

She dropped her broom.

"I-I'm not going crazy, am I?" She paused and looked around, chills ran up her arms, down her spine. "Gods, help.."

"…Embrace…"

"Who are you?" She asked the voice. "Respond to me, please!"

"…Come." The door was focused in her sight. A purple glow was emanating throughout the cracks of the door.

She swallowed hard, approaching the ominous, demonic room.

She opened the door, the room was freezing cold, the walls painted by a dark violet.

"T-The demon! N-N-NO!" She ran in the room, but before she got to the black box, it bursted open, the shock of the blast threw her against the wall.

The last thing in her vision was a shadow of pure darkness, standing from the box.

* * *

Aerin opened her eyes. The purple on the walls were gone. The box was opened.

She gasped, bursted through the door and ran to the main part of the temple.

As she walked down the halls, black scratches and blood painted the walls. Aerin was gaping in horror as she slowly creeped down the halls.

Opening the main door, her hand to her mouth, knowing the worst had probably happened.

Bodies. Pools of blood.

Those from the Order of the Shadows were lying, lifeless, in pools of blood. Her family members, dead. Her mother, father, siblings, murdered.

Aerin didn't cry. Something inside of her wouldn't let her, but anger. Anger. Hatred. Burned inside of her.

She stood at the scene, clenching her fists.

The shadow appeared again. The voice, only more clear, and louder.

_"You, my dear young maiden, have just witnessed the Order of the Shadows murder your family in cold blood_." The shadow approached.

She stood silent.

_"I can feel your rage."_ The demon cackled maniacally. _"You are very special. I am sure you know who I am."_

"Ulciscor. Who killed my family?"

_"The same who awakened me. Oh, what a grave mistake he has made."_ The demon's face, though unable to be seen from human eyes, smiled devilishly_. "Mortal, listen. We both want the same thing. I must possess a human body if I want to be able to kill our enemy."_

"You want me to be your vessel?" Aerin asked.

_"Not necessarily. I shall manifest inside of you, giving you powers upon your very desire. When I am inside of you, I sleep, and when you awaken me, I shall be there."_

The shadow swirled around her. _"What is your answer? Hehehe.."_

Aerin smirked slightly. "I accept."

_"Very well." _

The shadow penetrated through her chest, delving deep inside her. Aerin screamed as Ulciscor entered her mind.

Aerin's eyes glowed violet, her body emanating a dark purple.

She fell to the ground, panting.

_"I am now in you, mortal. I suggest we go to the Institute of War. As far as my understanding is, the Institute will be the only place to harness your newborn powers." _

"Understood," Aerin walked over to leave the temple.

She looked back through the door. Memories of the past seemed to fade away.

Aerin didn't look back again.

* * *

"Hey, Ulciscor." Aerin said.

_"Hmm? What's up?" _Ulciscor said.

"How does this communication thing work between us? I mean, I can hear you, but..." she asked.

_"Oh, that. You can talk to me by just thinking to yourself. You don't actually have to say things out loud." _Ulciscor replied.

"That makes things a lot simpler, then." Aerin sighed.

The orange in the sky was slowly fading as evening turned to night. Aerin pulled the scarf up higher as she made her way towards the nearest major city.

"Ulciscor, can I ask for a favor?" Aerin said. "Can you do something about this creepy purple glow?"

_"It's not creepy…" _Ulciscor sighed. _"Fine, fine. I was hoping you would let me leave it on, but I'll hide it for now. I can't do anything about the glow if you lose control of your emotions, though."_

"Thanks, Ulciscor." Aerin said. "Can I call you Ul? Saying Ulciscor over and over again takes a lot of effort…"

_"Hey, don't you think you're asking for a little much here?"_ Ulciscor said, obviously pissed. _"I'm the demon of revenge, for fuck's sake.. How can people take me seriously if you go around addressing me like I'm your pet?"_

"Come on! I'm even letting you live in my body…" Aerin pouted.

_"You're the one who consented to that…" _Ulciscor sucked his teeth and gave in. _"Fine…"_

They got to the city as soon as night fell. Aerin had been to this city many times, and getting a room in a hotel wasn't hard. The room Aerin managed to get was small, but she was short on money. Aerin lit the fireplace in the corner of the room and warmed her hands.

The events of the day finally took its toll on Aerin. She was exhausted. Memories of her family came flooding back to her, and soon it became too much for Aerin to handle. She curled up into a ball and tried her best to push the painful memories out of her head.

_"Was your family that important to you?" _Ulciscor asked. _"I mean, I don't know how family feels like. I was the byproduct of millenia of vindictive desires. I don't have a mother or a father, or even siblings."_

"Family is very important to human beings." Aerin explained. "In fact, there's a famous Ionian folktale about a brother who gave his life for his sister when the whole world turned against her."

Ulciscor yawned. _"Well, since we have nothing much to do until morning, I'd like to hear it. 'Family' is still a relatively new concept for me."_

"We really do have nothing to do, huh." Aerin sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you a bedtime story, Ul."

Aerin took a deep breath and recalled the details of the story. Her mother used to read stories to her when she was a child, and this folktale was one of them.

"So, long ago, Ionia was divided into four kingdoms. The First Kingdom, the Second Kingdom, the Third Kingdom, and the Fourth Kingdom. Two twins, born to the royal family of the Fourth Kingdom, were inseperable siblings who loved each other very much." She said.

She paused for a second to recall the details about this part of the story.

"One day, their father, the king of the Fourth Kingdom, fell very ill. He chose the female twin to be the his successor. When he passed away, the female twin became the princess of the Fourth Kingdom, and the male twin became her loyal servant. The difference in their statuses eventually seperated the twins. The princess became selfish, and her brother was just a loyal tool. A servant of evil. When they grew older, the princess fell in love with the Second Kingdom's handsome prince. She was rejected again and again, and soon fell into depression. One day, the princess sent her brother out on a diplomatic mission to the Second Kingdom. During his stay there, he met the Second Kingdom's prince, as well as his lover, the Third Kingdom's princess. The brother fell in love with the Third Kingdom's princess at first sight, and reported the relationship to his sister when he got back home. The princess was super pissed when she heard about this. Why was the Third Kingdom's princess better than her? Why couldn't she be the one the Prince loves?"

_"So she really did become a self-centered bitch, huh?" _Ulciscor said.

"Yep." Aerin said, continuing with the story.

"She ordered her brother to kill the Third Kingdom's princess, to his dismay. He loved the Third Kingdom's princess, but his sister's order was absolute. The next day, he traveled to the Third Kingdom and arranged a meeting with the Princess in a secluded area. When the princess arrived, the brother stabbed her in the heart. As the princess died, the brother cried and told her that he was sorry multiple times. The princess came to realize that he did not want to kill her, and that this was an order from the higher-ups from the Fourth Kingdom. In the end, the Third Kingdom's princess forgave the brother."

_"She seems like a nice girl." _Ulciscor said.

"When the Second Kingdom's prince learned of his lover's death, he became enraged. He vowed to avenge her death, and eventually, everything was traced back to the Fourth Kingdom's Princess. The Second Kingdom and the Third Kingdom enlisted the help of the First Kingdom, who was a longtime enemy of the Fourth. Together, they forced the Fourth Kingdom into an impossible war. Eventually, the three kingdoms made it to the capital of the Fourth Kingdom. The Fourth's princess was found guilty, and an execution date was set for the next day."

"The Fourth's princess cried all night in her room, until her brother came to comfort her. He told her that he would protect his sister to the very end, even if the whole world was against her. He told her that if they switched clothes, nobody would be able to tell the difference. The brother would die in place of the sister. It was then that the princess had finally realized how selfish she had been, and how awful she had treated her brother, who cared so much for her. Not wanting to refuse his dying wish, she agreed to the plan, and the next day, when the Second Kingdom's prince came to collect the Princess for execution, it was the twin brother that was led onto the guillotine, while the real princess was in the crowd, dressed in peasant clothing. As she watched her brother lay his head across the wooden block, she smiled at him, thanking him silently for everything that he has done. The brother saw her and smiled back as the Second's prince gave the order to drop the blade. The brother then said, quietly: "I just want you to know – if there is a second life, I would like to be with you again." The blade dropped, and the real princess ran far, far, away, never to be heard from again.

Aerin was starting to nod off, and she could tell that Ulciscor was tired, as well.

"I'm gonna go wash my face, then go to sleep." She said.

_"Alright, good night." _Ulciscor said, as he went to sleep inside Aerin's mind.

* * *

_"You awake?" _

Ulciscor echoed in her head.

Aerin opened her eyes. "God damn it, Ul."

_"Oh yes, you humans require a certain amount of sleep."_

Aerin sighed. "Whatever, we should probably head out. I'm gonna take a shower."

She got up and in to the bathroom. About to take her shirt off, she paused.

"Are you still there?"

_"…"_

"ULCISCOR!"

_"What? I want to enjoy a nice, steamy hot shower as well.."_

"So you're a perverted demon too?"

_"Perverted is a strong word, dear."_

Ulciscor started to fill images into her head.

"S-S-Stop it!" Aerin blushed hard.

_"I'm just playing with you, Aerin. Go ahead and shower. I won't look." _Ulciscor said.

Aerin took deep breaths and slowly took her shirt off.

_"To tell you the truth, I'm dissapointed. They looked a lot bigger with clothes on."_ Ulciscor pointed out.

Aerin's eyes found the ground as she blushed even harder.

"This is how every morning will be?" Aerin looked devastated.

_"You'll get used to it, dear."_

* * *

Aerin wandered the city, looking for clothing shops.

_"Why would you want more clothes?"_ Ulciscor asked.

"We can't walk around with the same clothes every day, it's disgusting and boring," Aerin replied.

_"You humans are very confusing."_

"Hey, you! Over there!" A shop owner called out to Aerin.

"Oh, a yukata shop? This looks interesting," she said.

"Hello, young maiden, may I interest you in a yukata?" he said, displaying a variety.

"These look nice, can you recommend one for me?" she asked.

"Hmm, I have just the thing," he pulled a violet and black yukata from the shelf.

"Ooh, this looks amazing!"

"I believe this would match your personality, and it goes very well with your eyes and hair, may I say."

"Thank you, I'll take it." She payed and headed to the harbor.

_"What's a yukata?"_ Ul asked.

Aerin thought. "Did they have kimono's back in your era?"

_"Yes."_

"Think of a yukata as a less formal kimono, easier to put on by yourself and mostly used in the summer."

_"Isn't it winter?"_

"I'll wear a coat over it," Aerin said.

_"Why not just use a kimono then?" I could help you put it on…"_

"Shut up, you pervert."

* * *

"Boat Rides to Runeterra Mainland"

Aerin read the sign above a certain portion of the dock, where a large boat was kept.

She walked up to the person on the boat.

"Excuse me, when will you be taking off?"

"It's just about time to. Would you like a ride?" the man asked her.

"Yes, please," Aerin said.

_"These men, they all stare at you. I can see their intentions,"_ Ul said.

"W-What intentions?" She asked.

Ulciscor laughed. _"Something I'd enjoy watching."_

"If I could slap you, I would."

_"That would not be the greatest of ideas."_

The bell rang on the boat, it began to leave the dock. Aerin watched as the land disappeared into the horizon each second.

She walked up to the captain of the boat. "How long will this trip last?"

"Should be an hour and a half if the weather is good. Maybe two."

"Alright, thank you," Aerin walked to a chair and sat down.

_"I advise getting rest, it shall be a long day."_

"If you say so." She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, listening to the sounds of the ocean.

The bell rang again, and Aerin opened her eyes. She stretched and yawned, looking over the dock to the City of Piltover.

"Wow, Piltover looks amazing!" Aerin looked over the city, her jaw dropped in awe.

_"This place is very different from our time. Perhaps there is a caravan in this town?"_ Ul said.

"Caravan? We don't have those anymore," Aerin giggled. "I believe there is a bullet train here."

_"Bullet train? What the fuck is that?"_

"You'll see," she said, walking in to the city.

Buildings towered over her as she walked down the street.

_"At the Institute of War, is there something they call the League of Legends?"_ Ulciscor asked.

"Yeah, I've heard of them. Heroes from all over the world. There are a couple from Piltover, like the Sheriff, and a scientist who's apparently a brute. And there's also Ezreal, an archeologist. I've seen him once, I think he's a very cute guy," She said.

_"It seems you have a crush on this Ezreal character."_

"Just cause I say he's cute doesn't mean I like him!" She started to become flustered as she walked down the street.

She followed street signs as best as she could, but soon enough, she was utterly lost in the bustling metropolis of the City of Progress.

"Maybe we should ask someone…" Aerin said. She turned around, only to run into another person passing by.

"OOF!" They both fell to the ground.

"Ahh, I'm so sorry!" A voice said opposite to her."Here, let me help you up."

"Oh, thank you-" She looked up at the man.

He had golden, messy hair, goggles, and a large gauntlet on his left hand.

His smile had made her forget everything for a split second, reaching her hand for his.

"Ezreal?"

"Hm? You know me?" He asked.

"How could I not? You're an amazing champion!" Aerin said.

Ezreal scratched his head. "Hah, thanks, that means a lot. The Institue got wind of a girl from Ionia with some strange powers, and found out she was in Piltover. I was sent to pick her up. Did you see anyone like that anywhere?" he asked.

Aerin giggled. "Actually, yes, she had long black hair, purple eyes, and is little shorter than you."

"Oh, great! Do you know where she is?" Ezreal asked.

Aerin laughed. "You're silly. She's two feet in front of you."

Ezreal's face turned red. "O-Oh, well... that's fucking embarrassing!" He laughed nervously.

"Well then, where to, Mr. Explorer?" Aerin asked.

Ezreal smiled. "Follow me, before we head back to the Institute, I'd like to show you where you can get something to eat. You seem hungry."

Her stomach growled. "Yeah, that sounds good. I haven't eaten anything since I left Ionia."

_"I do not trust this Ezreal. I can't tell his intentions either,"_ Ulciscor chimed in.

"Well maybe they're GOOD intentions." Aerin replied.

_"By the way he looks, I wouldn't doubt that. He doesn't seem like he would be much of a threat to us."_ Ulciscor said.

"Shut up, and be quiet." she said out loud.

"Huh? Sorry, what was that?" Ezreal turned.

She quickly turned red. "Oh uh, it's a uhhh…"

He tilted his head slightly.

Aerin sighed. "It's a long story, I'll tell you while we eat."

"Alright, no problem." He replied.

Aerin let out a sigh of relief. "You really don't know how to shut up, don't you?" she said.

_"Hey, at least TRY to be nice to a demon living inside your mind." _Ul complained.

Ezreal walked her to a restaurant and held the door open for her. They sat down at a table and ordered food, and Ezreal began asking questions.

"So, what's your name?" he asked.

"Aerin. It's spelling with an Ae- at the beginning."

"Alright, Aerin. What are these 'strange powers' of yours?" Ezreal continued.

"Well, there's a demon inside me." Aerin shuddered. "A perverted demon in my mind who acts like he pays rent and thinks he has the right to invade my privacy 24/7."

Aerin sighed. "That's why I told him to be quiet earlier, hehehe.."

Aerin took another bite of omelet. "His name's Ulciscor, the Demon of Vengeance. I haven't seen my powers in action yet, but according to my family, he's supposed to be really powerful."

Ezreal chuckled. "No worries. We can try out your powers later. I know someone that can set something up for us."

She giggled. "So, Ezreal, what's it like at the Institute?"

"The first week is always the worst. Trying to cope with the Judgement is always hard. After that, it's just doing matches and living a life in the Institute. It's not that bad, it's fun most days. And you can just call me Ez, if it's easier for you."

"Oh, sure, Ez. Where do you stay?"

"I stay with the Marksmen. You can choose where to stay, but they recommend to stay with the people with the role you are used in the most frequently, such as Junglers or Supports."

"Well, that sounds rather complicated," Aerin said.

"You get used to it after a while. And you learn to like all of your roommates, no matter how many times you fight them," Ez chuckled.

Aerin wiped her mouth with a napkin, accidentally burping.

She then covered her mouth, with a blush, laughing nervously. "Ehehe, sorry!"

"Ahaha!" Ezreal laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, that's too cute!"

Aerin hid behind her napkin. "D-Did he just call me cute?"

_"It would seem so,"_ Ul said.

"God damn it, you ruin everything." Aerin said. One of the many disadvantages of having a demon in your mind.

Ulciscor laughed. _"Don't worry. Enjoy yourself, but don't forget that I can always hear you."_

"You're the worst…" Aerin mumbled.

Aerin sighed in exasperation and looked back up at the eye candy sitting across from her.

"Why do you have those triangles under your eyes? I mean, if you don't mind telling me.." Aerin asked.

"Oh, ehrm.. I was cosplaying once, and I had a girlfriend at the time. She said it looked cute, so I kept it," He said.

Aerin grinned. "I think they're cute, too."

"Y-You do?" Ezreal asked shyly. "I was thinking about getting rid of them, actually."

Aerin turned and looked at him deeper. "Don't do that, they're adorable!" She said.

A force seemed to have shoved Ezreal forward, tackling Aerin to the ground.

"Ow.." Ezreal rubbed his forehead in pain.

"Oh, my, Ezreal~ You're so bold…" She said on the ground.

"Wha- GAH!" His face glowed bright red, his hand on her breast. He pulled away immediately.

"I-I'm sorry! That was my fault!" Ezreal had his head down in shame.

She stood up and giggled. "You're so shameless, Ez," Aerin pinched his arm.

"I'm sorry," Ezreal said, ashamed.

Aerin laughed at him. "I'll forgive you this time, cause you're so cute."

Ezreal looked back up, then nodded. "Won't happen again, I promise."

"Good, now stop moping around get your ass up," she said.

_"Damn, that didn't work,"_ Ulciscor said.

"What didn't work? Did you push him?" Aerin asked, obviously annoyed.

_"Erm, well I was only trying to help,"_ he said.

"Help with what?"

_"To reveal his true nature, so you would leave him be."_

Aerin sighed and mentally facepalmed. "You're an idiot."

_"Hey, I was trying to help…"_

"Talking to your demon friend again?" Ez asked her.

"What? Oh, yeah. He gets on my nerves sometimes," Aerin said.

"Ha, I'm sure you'll get used to it, like siblings get used to each other," he said. "The bullet train is right over there, see it?" Ez pointed to the distance. "Here, grab my hand and hold on."

Aerin held on, Ezreal closed his eyes and sparks flew around the two of them. When they opened their eyes again, they were in front of the station.

* * *

At 350 kilometers an hour, it only took the bullet train two hours to get from Piltover to the Institute.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at the Institue of War. Please watch your step as you exit the train, and thank you for choosing to ride with us today,"_ a voice on the intercom said.

"Aerin. Wake up. We're here."

Aerin yawned and rubbed her eyes. She followed Ezreal out of the train and off the platform, and once they were out of the station, it was a five minute walk to the Institute.

"Weclome to the Institute of War, Aerin."

Ezreal walked Aerin inside, where they were greeted by a young man in purple clothes.

"Yo!"

"Hey, Koutan. Let me introduce you guys, Aerin, this is Koutan. He's a high rated summoner here at the League. Koutan, this is Aerin. She's potentially going to be the newest addition to the champion pool." Ezreal said.

Aerin looked over at Koutan. He was fairly tall and had dark bangs that fell down to the top of his icy blue eyes. If it wasn't for his friendly disposition and warm smile, Aerin would've definetely been scared of him by now.

"Nice to meet you, Aerin." Koutan held out his hand.

"N-Nice to meet you too…" Aerin shook it and went back to looking around the Institute grounds.

"One more thing, Koutan." Ezreal said. "We don't know what kind of powers we're dealing with here, so can we use the range to test some things out? She's got a demon inside her, but she's never seen her powers in action."

"Yeah, I'll call my friend right now and see if we can get permission to use the range." Koutan said. "I'll get over there and get everything set up first. It's gonna take a while, so go show Aerin around the Institute for now."

"Alright, thanks, bro." Ezreal said.

Ezreal waved Koutan goodbye as he went back into the Institute.

"Well, Aerin. What are your first impressions of the Institute?" Ezreal asked.

Aerin took a look around at the massive front courtyard of the Institute. It had a beautiful garden, filled with thing she's only ever seen in books.

"It's a really nice place. I was thinking things would be a lot more uptight and formal, but it really isn't like that at all." Aerin replied.

"Yeah, the League does give off that kind of image. We have literally everything you could ever want or need here – shopping centers, gyms, even a vacation resort and an indoor amusement park." Ezreal said.

"You guys have an amusement park here?" Aerin's eyes lit up.

"I was kidding about the amusement park part. But everything else was true, though." Ezreal chuckled. "Come on, let's go inside."

Aerin followed Ezreal in through the massive doors of the Institute. The room that they stepped in was absolutely humongous, complete with multiple arches along the ceiling, as well as a shiny marble floor. People dressed in the same robes as Koutan were running around busily, and Aerin even recognized a few champions conversing with the summoners.

Ezreal led Aerin to the right side of the room, where there were multiple elevators, ready to use. Ezreal pushed a button, and the doors opened.

"Alright, I'll take you to the shopping center first, I guess."

He pushed 5F and the elevator slowly rose up.

"By the way, this elevator's walls are completely glass. There's a wonderful view going up, as well." Ezreal said.

Just as he finished saying that, the elevator came out of the shaft and into a glass tube, where Aerin could see the whole east grounds of the Institute.

Aerin stared in awe.

"You see the big building with the Demacian flags? Those are the Demacian Quarters. If you don't want to live in a role-specific dormitory, then you can choose to live in your faction's quarters." Ezreal said. "There are also apartments that you can rent in the city outside of the Institute."

"How are the role-specific dorms like?" Aerin asked.

"Well, every dorm is just as unique as the champions that live in them. The supports are really nice. If you're having a bad day, you can go there, and they'll do their best to cheer you up. As for the top laners and the junglers, they fight a lot, but it's all in good fun." Ezreal said.

"What about where you live?" Aerin asked.

"I stay in the marksman quarters."Ezreal said. "The marksmen… simply put, they're not on the friendliest terms with me. Ashe and Caitlyn are the only exceptions, though. They're really nice once you get to know them."

Aerin nodded as she looked out the window, trying to take in the view.

_"Fifth Floor, Institute Shopping Center." _The elevator voice said.

The elevator doors slid open as Aerin and Ezreal stepped out into the biggest mall Aerin had ever seen. There were some malls back in Ionia, but this one could probably fit more than a hundred of them inside it.

"Huge…" Aerin said.

"Yep. It takes a while to explore all the parts of this mall, and there's even a shuttle system to get you from one part of the mall to another." Ezreal explained.

Ezreal noticed Aerin staring at all the shops around her.

"Do you want to buy new clothes? I can pay for all of it." Ezreal said.

Aerin blushed and waved her hands in front of her. "No, it's fine. You already went through the trouble of getting me to the Institute after buying me breakfast, so.."

Ezreal laughed. "Come on, don't be like that. Think of this as a welcome gift."

Aerin's eyes found the ground as she nodded.

_"Do they have any bubble tea shops around here? I've always wanted to try it ever since we passed by a shop back in your hometown."_ Ulciscor said.

"Even if I bought one for you, how are you going to drink it?" Aerin asked.

_"I can align my senses with yours. Whenver I choose to, I can feel what you feel, see what you see, et cetera."_ Ulciscor said.

"Ezreal, are there any bubble tea shops around here?" Aerin asked.

"Yeah, there are a lot of them in the food court. It'll take ten minutes by shuttle." Ezreal said.

Ezreal lead Aerin down a huge staircase and in front of a shuttle station.

"The shuttle tracks are kind of built like a road system in the shopping center. The tracks are in the middle of the walkway, and people walk alongside it." Ezreal explained. "Speaking of shuttles, here comes one right now."

A small, two-car train that looked like a bullet train pulled into the station. The doors opened, and people got off. Once people stopped getting off, Aerin and Ezreal stepped onto the shuttle, and the doors closed behind them.

"The food court is in the center of the shopping center. We'll get off in four stops then walk about three minutes to get there." Ezreal said.

After four stops and a short walk, Aerin and Ezreal stepped into the food court. This one wasn't like any of the food courts that the malls in her hometown had. In fact, this didn't seem like a food court at all – it seemed like a street from somewhere in a big city, but instead of having apartments, there were restaurants as far as the eye could see.

"A lot of good restaurants from all over the world have branches here." Ezreal explained.

Ezreal led Aerin into what seemed like a huge town square, but instead of politicians giving speeches, there were food vendors telling people what today's specials were. In the middle of all of it, there was a beautiful fountain where a lot of people were sitting near.

They walked a few more steps. "Found it." Ezreal said.

Aerin looked up at the sign Ezreal pointed to. "Ebb and Flow Boba" The sign read with a cup, water splashing into it, and black pearls at the bottom.

"That's the best bubble tea shop in the court. Someone was inspired by one of our supports, Nami, and wanted to name it after her bubble ability, but figured Aqua Prison wasn't the best name," Ezreal laughed.

"What do you think, Ul? Sound good?" Aerin asked the demon.

_"Yeah, those black pearls look pretty tasty."_

Aerin giggled. "You're a weird demon."

"Come, I'll get you one," Ez said.

"Y-You don't have to buy one for me.." Aerin looked at the ground once more, shuffling her feet. "It's enough you paid for breakfast and said you'd buy me clothes.."

Ez smiled. "It's no big deal, I have plenty of money on me anyway, no harm done."

Aerin put on a happy grin. "I-If you say so.."

"One bubble tea, please," Ez asked the worker at the desk.

"Right, here you go sir. That'll be $3.99."

Ez handed her the money. "Thanks!"

He handed the tea to Aerin.

She sucked on the straw, one of the tapioca pearls flew into her mouth. She chewed down on the soft ball.

_"This texture.. delicious!"_ Ulciscor said, tasting the milk tea and tapioca ball roll against her teeth.

"It's really good, Ez! Thanks a lot," Aerin said.

"Hey, no problem. While you drink that, want to look around for some clothes?"

"Sure, let's go!"

The glass doors of another fancy shop in the mall slid open.

"Are you sure about this place, Ez? It looks really expensive.." Aerin said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Pick out anything you want, I'll pay for it."

By the time they got out of the shop, Ezreal struggled to lift the bags of clothes.

"I think I bought a LITTLE too much.." Aerin said, nervously laughing.

"D-Don't worry about it. Let me drop this stuff off at my room, then we'll go back to Koutan in the range." he lifted the bags over his shoulders. "It's only a ten minute shuttle ride from the mall to the range.

Ezreal disappeared in a flurry of golden energy, and a few seconds later, he reappeared in front of Aerin.

"Once we're done, I'll take you to my room and we can pick them up." Ezreal said.

One ten minute shuttle ride later, they arrived at the range. Koutan was talking with another guy at the control panel.

"Oh, they're here," Koutan said to the man next to him.

"Yo, Sayo, whats up?" Ez said. "Oh, Aerin, this is Sayo, another Summoner friend of mine."

"Hey, Aerin!" Sayo said cheerily, holding his hand out. He was fairly tall, with chestnut hair, glasses, and green eyes.

"Nice to meet you," Aerin shook his hand.

"The range is all opened up, I've prepared some targets." Sayo opened up the gate to the field.

"Oh, one more thing. I've talked to the Grand Summoner. He says Aerin may stay with which lane she is capable of holding, however tomorrow she will face Judgement," Koutan said to Ezreal.

"Alright, then let's find out what you can do, Aerin," Ez said, taking her hand and walking through to the field. He arcane shifted back over to the control panel once Aerin was properly positioned.

A shield of bright green energy enveloped the three of them. "We're going to stand behind this barrier; no magic or physical attacks may penetrate through it. All damage done to this range will be magically reversed at the end of the session. The targets or going to pop up in ten seconds. Get ready!" Sayo said, flipping the switch of a button.

_"Need some help, Aerin?"_ Ulciscor popped up in her head.

"Good timing, can you help me out with the powers you gave me?" She asked Ul.

_"Yes, I am granting you power at the moment. the rest is up to you." _Ul faded away in her mind.

Flames of demonic energy engulfed her hands. Her body had the glow again.

One target popped up. She attacked, throwing a devastating punch to the head of the dummy. The head had been hit so hard, it disappeared. The dark energy around her hand had drilled through.

She glanced at the black vortex in amazement, then quickly swapped targets, throwing a punch at a distance, then pulling back, elbowing the back of the dummy's head.

"I.. feel power.. in my veins.." Aerin's mind raced. She glanced at the rows of enemies popping up in front of her, one after another.

"I can't take them out so quickly!" Her anger increased, vortexes had grown larger and moved more violently. She pounded her fists together, then threw the gigantic vortex of demonic energy into the ground. What seemed like an earthquake had decimated all enemies in front of her, a fissure where the enemies had been.

Aerin looked at the fissure in amazement, the dummies had been crushed by the earthquake and sank into the hole.

She acquired another target out of the corner of her eye. The bottom of her shoes lit up with demonic energy, and with blinding speed, Aerin dashed into the dummy, sending her arm straight through where the heart would be. She went through another. And another.

Aerin launched herself into the air using demonic energy again. She blew two dummies away with rays of energy, then brought her heel down hard on a third dummy's head before landing, splitting it in half.

Violence had manifested in herself, rage built in her blood. Her irises glowed a harsh violet and the glow around her body had built into yet another vortex, a pinnacle of destruction.

She slaughtered the remaining enemies, malefic visions in her mind drove her mad. Aerin could see the blood of anything she punched through, dashed into, and the dark fissures she had created. Everything got more and more intense.

A loud buzz had concluded that all enemies were eliminated, and the barrier died down. Ulciscor stopped pumping power into her, and her glow wore off.

"What… just happened…" Aerin kneeled on the floor, breathing heavily and coughing up blood.

Aerin felt Ulciscor return to her mind. _"Don't worry about the blood, Aerin. That's a side effect of using my powers for the first time."_ He said.

The three guys looked at the scene. The field was completely destroyed. Their jaws dropped to the floor.

"Holy shit." Sayo said.

Ezreal helped Aerin to her feet. "The High Summoners were watching you practice. It seems that the lane they concluded is…" Koutan looked back to his phone.

"Mid lane."

END

* * *

A/N: Chapter one is at an end, but no fear, chapter 2 is coming along soon. Please leave a review, or private message me or Taejoon if you have a question about anything.

Special shoutout to my girlfriend for making the art for the cover of the Fanfic.

Taejoon: u/4740232/taejoon

Thank you all for reading, stay updated!


	2. Void

A/N: Hey guys! tae here. First things first, I want to apologize for not uploading anything in almost a year. Chapter 2 is going to be a solo chapter by me, but things will be going back to normal after this. Maybe we might get to see Drak write a solo chapter in the future wwww

Anyways, I really hope this is enough to make up for the huge delay in content, and as always, if you liked it, add it to your favorites and leave a review to tell me what you think!

~tae

xxxx

CHAPTER 2

xxxx

The sound of a wind chime softly rang through the mid dorm as the door opened. Ahri's ears perked up as she looked away from her drama. She ran over to the door.

"Hi, Ezzy~" she chimed.

Ezreal smiled. "Hey, Ahri." Ahri looked over at Aerin. She leaned in to look at her.

"Who's this, Ezzy?" she asked. Ahri shot Ezreal a dirty look.

"How far have you guys gone?" she whispered.

"We're not going out." Ezreal sighed. Ahri looked at a nervous Aerin, then shot Ezreal another dirty look.

"Who said anything about going out?" Ahri giggled.

Ez mentally facepalmed shook his head. "This is Ahri, the horny fox. I'm sure you've heard of her," he said to Aerin, smiling at Ahri's angry glare. "Don't listen to him." Ahri said. "Hi, I'm Ahri, and you are?"

"Um, hello, I'm Aerin, from Ionia," she spoke nervously.

Ahri giggled. "I'm from Ionia too~! So, what business do you have with the Institute of War? There's no way they would've let some little girl like you just stroll into a place like this." she said.

"I-I'm facing judgment tomorrow…" Aerin said.

"The higher-ups have already assigned her to mid after seeing a training session." Ezreal explained.

"Well, welcome to the mid quarters!" Ahri smiled. She turned and looked around at the deserted commons area. "It looks really empty right now, but it's late." She explained.

Ezreal yawned. "Well, I better get headed back to the Marksman dorm. I'll come back in a bit to drop Aerin's stuff off, then I'm off to bed as well."

"Alright~! Night, Ez!" Ahri mused. The wind chime rang once more as Ezreal exited the dorm.

"It's really late right now, so I'll give you a complete tour tomorrow, after judgment." Ahri yawned. Even her tails looked like they had trouble staying up. "Maybe going on a drama binge wasn't the best of ideas…"

Ahri walked Aerin up a flight of stairs, up onto the second floor. There were a few hallways, each with a few rooms each.

"Most people living here sleep on the second floor. If you want to, you can have a room on the third floor, but the third floor is mostly for champions that want to be alone, such as the Void champions." Ahri explained.

"I'll take one on the second floor, then." Aerin said.

Ahri walked around with Aerin, trying to find an open room.

"The room next to Lux's is free." Ahri said. "You should get along pretty well with her."

Ahri slid the card key into the panel on the wall, next to the door. A light on the panel clicked green, and the door slid sideways into the wall.

Mahogany wood floors. Plenty of windows for natural light. It even came with a loft, with a modern-looking staircase along the wall, leading up to it. Even the shelves on the wall looked unrealistically nice.

"This is a dorm room?" Aerin asked.

"Yep. All these years later, and this place still amazes me." Ahri said, stepping into the room. "The room itself is pretty self-explanatory. The bed is over here." Ahri gestured towards the bed, which was placed right underneath a skylight. "Bathrooms and your closet, over here. Everything else in this room, you can decorate. That's only after you become a champion, though. You can only sleep and put your stuff in this room, just for tonight, unfortunately." Ahri explained.

"Well, I'm off to bed. See you in the morning, Aerin~

_"I'll be going to sleep first, then." _Ulciscor said.

Aerin felt Ul leave her mind as she put her stuff down and headed for the bathroom. After taking a quick shower, she changed into her sleeping clothes, and very ungracefully, threw herself onto the bed. These last few days have been unbelievably tiring.

"Maybe I should take a few minutes to sort everything out…" Aerin mumbled to herself.

Okay. First things first – there's a demon inside her. That part was fairly simple to understand. But what she didn't understand was her family. Whenever she tried to remember them, all she drew was a blank in her mind. She couldn't remember any names, faces, anything.

One thing didn't add up. If she couldn't remember her family, then how could she have remembered the story that was told to her all those years ago?

Aerin's head felt like it was going to explode if she thought about this any further. She took a deep breath, and tried to calm the throbbing in her temples. She looked up at the skylight, towards the stars that lit up the sky above her. She tried picking out as many constellations as she could, but she could only pick out two or three before her head started throbbing again.

Constellations don't really exist. They're just random groups of stars that we perceive as parts of a whole. Our mind fills in the blanks for us, and suddenly, we have things such as Andromeda, Orion, and Libra. There are a lot of bits and pieces of memories of Aerin's past, but none of the blanks could be filled in.

Aerin closed her eyes and went to sleep. If anything was to be figured out, it would be in the morning.

xxxx

_(Knock)_

Aerin's eyes cracked open as the door slid open. "Did you sleep well, princess?"Ahri asked, as she walked into the room.

"That was the best sleep of my life." Aerin replied, yawning.

Ahri laughed. "It's like, three in the afternoon right now."

Aerin cursed under her breath. "I have champion judgment today, too…" she said.

"Oh, don't worry about judgment. Ezreal just texted me, and he said that he's supposed to bring you somewhere after you get ready. I'll bring clothes up in a bit. There's food downstairs, so take a shower, then come down to eat."

"Thanks, Ahri." Aerin said.

"You can call me Sis." Ahri said, winking. She walked back down the hallway, and the door slid shut.

After coming out of the shower, Aerin walked over to her bed, when Ahri left her change of clothes. She changed quickly, brushed her teeth, and then walked over to themirror propped up on her wall.

No matter how many times she looked at it, the skirt Ahri provided her with was really short.

"Well, she's a horny fox, as Ezreal said. It could've been worse." Aerin muttered.

_"It does look quite good on you." _Ul commented.

Aerin took one more look in the mirror.

"Now that I think of it, it doesn't look bad at all. These thigh-highs are really nice, too." Aerin said. She retrieved her room key from her nightstand, slid the door open, and headed downstairs. Her thigh-highs were perfect for skating down the glossy mahogany floor.

The commons area was several times more lively than last night. Many mid champions were chatting with each other, and there were a few summoners present as well.

A wind chime rang through the commons as the door swung open. Ezreal came into the commons and spotted Aerin on top of the stairs.

"Hey!" Ezreal said, waving.

Aerin quickly came down the stairs and greeted him.

"Sorry to bring this up so suddenly, but we need to leave now. Have you eaten anything yet?" Ezreal asked.

Aerin shook her head.

Ezreal sighed. "Nothing we can do about it. I'll treat you when we get back, okay?"

Golden sparks appeared around them as Ezreal started channeling an arcane shift. Aerin felt the floor disappear from underneath her as they flew through space. After a few seconds, a room came into Aerin's vision as she lost her footing and crashed onto the ground.

"Thank you for bringing her, Ezreal."

The room that they were in looked like a command center, with large holographic displays on all but one wall. Standing in the middle of it all, was Sayo.

He turned towards Aerin. "Sorry for bringing you so suddenly." He bowed his head a little.

"It's fine, but..." Aerin said, dusting herself off. "What's up with all of this?"

"Do you know anything about the Void?" Sayo asked.

Aerin faintly recalled Ahri saying something about Void champions on the third floor of the mid dormitory.

"I guess? I mean, I've heard of it..." Aerin replied.

"That's good enough." Sayo said. "A rift has opened up in the Ironspike Mountains-" Sayo pulled up a large map of Runeterra. The camera zoomed in on the Ironspike Mountains, and revealed a large, gaping purplish-black hole nestled between two mountain peaks. Much of immediate area around the rift was drowned in a eerie purplish glow. On closer inspection, Aerin saw that small, four-legged ant-like creatures were slowly making their way out of the hole.

"Several larger Void creatures have already made their way out of the mountains, and it's not going to be long before they start terrorizing the nearby villages." Sayo explained. "None of the nearby city-states seem willing to clean up this mess, so as the highest governing body in Valoran, the Institute of War is going to handle it."

Sayo adjusted his glasses. "As the highest ranking summoner in the Institute, the responsibility for this incident falls on me, and I will ensure that this anomaly is dealt with."

His words sent chills up Aerin's spine.

Sayo took a look at the clipboard laying on a nearby desk. "Your role in this mission is to eliminate any larger Void creates in the area around the rift. Clear the area so that we can shut off the rift as soon as possible. Oh, and don't bother about the ones that wander too far from the rift. We'll deal with the stragglers after we complete the primary objective."

"By myself?" Aerin asked.

A bright blue hole opened up in one of the walls, and Koutan stepped out.

"Yo. I packed everything already." Koutan said.

"Perfect timing. Kou will assist you." Sayo explained. "After seeing the practice session yesterday, I don't think this should be anything you can't handle."

This was a bit sudden, but it was a chance to see Ulciscor's powers in a real battle situation. It was too good to pass up.

Aerin nodded. Her body shone a bright light as her clothes were magically replaced with a tight black bodysuit. An earpiece materialized in her ear, and sunglasses with an extensive heads-up display was fitted on her head.

"Let's go."

xxxxx

Sayo drew magic symbols in the air with his finger. His palm lit up, and he slammed the wall behind him. A portal had opened up, and Aerin could see an airfield on the other side.

"After you." Koutan said, smiling.

Koutan and Aerin made small talk as they walked across the tarmac.

"This your first time on a plane?" Kou asked.

"Nope. I've flown once or twice before... I don't really remember when, though..." Aerin said.

Aerin's stomach let out an audible growl. She just remember that she left the dorm without eating.

"You haven't eaten anything yet?" Koutan asked. "It's pretty late into the day..."

Aerin let out a nervous laugh. "Well, you see, I woke up not too long ago, hehe..."

Kou slung his backpack off and unzipped the front compartment. He pulled out a pack of snacks and tossed them to Aerin. "It's not much, but it'll help keep your hunger down. I'll treat you to something when we get back, okay?" He smiled.

Aerin nodded and smiled back. "By the way, what are these?" she asked.

"They're weed brownies that I made last night with the boys from the ADC dorm." Kou said nonchalantly. "Pantheon handed us the recipe."

Aerin gave him a blank stare. "Heh..."

Kou pulled out a bottle of purple liquid. "We even got our hands on some codeine in our last raid on the storeroom..."

Aerin's blank stare remained. "I see... I didn't know you were that kind of person, Kou..."

Aerin sighed and took one of the brownies out of the package. Surely enough, they were regular fudge brownies. The drink was regular grape-flavored energy drink, as well. Aerin quickly ate as they approached the airplane. The cargo ramp dropped down, and Aerin could feel the warmth of the heated cabin in front of her. The bitter January winds weren't as bad as the ones in Ionia, but the tight bodysuit she had on provided limited insulation. She rubbed her hands together as she climbed into a seat next to Kou.

They both got strapped into their seats. The light above the cargo door turned red as it pulled itself up and locked shut.

"Oh, and one more thing. Since we don't have the luxury of time, we're performing a magical takeoff today." Koutan said.

"What's a-" Aerin was abruptly cut off by the loud whirring of a magical circle enveloping the plane. The pilot positioned the plane in takeoff position on the runway, then gave the green light to his co-pilot.

"This is why we need these." Koutan motioned towards the straps that held them tightly in their seats. "Brace yourself."

A violent force shoved Aerin down into the seat as the airplane went from zero to Mach 1 in an instant. A loud _boom_ could be heard as the plane broke the sound barrier and left the ground in an instant. After a while, the plane slowed down to about half that speed, and they were at cruising altitude. All in a matter of seconds.

xxxxx

_"Thirty seconds to drop-off."_ A voice came over the plane's intercom. Aerin looked out the window. The clouds were flying low today. Few rays of sun shone through the overcast weather.

"So, I'm assuming this is your first time voluntarily jumping out of an airplane, 20,000 feet above the ground." Koutan said.

Aerin nodded her head.

"Here's what gonna go down, Aerin. I'll jump off first, then a few seconds after, you're going to jump off after me. This way, you'll know when to pull the parachute out - exactly when I do." Koutan explained. "Pull the red tab first, then pull the blue tab after the main canopy has been fully deployed."

Aerin nodded. "Red, then blue. Red, then blue."

She was scared shitless.

_"Five seconds."_

The plane's cargo door slowly opened. The light above the door turned from red to green, indicating that they were above the designated landing area. Koutan flashed a peace sign to Aerin before he jumped off.

Aerin wiped her sweaty palms on her bodysuit. Carefully putting one foot after the other, she followed the handrail to the back of the plane. The sounds of flying at 500 miles per hour 20,000 above the ground could still be heard through the magical soundproofing on her earpiece. She put her ski goggles on, prayed to whatever God was out there, and jumped.

Aerin felt her consciousness leave her body as she was forced into a spectator position inside her mind. Her irises glowed violet as Ulciscor assumed control of her body.

"I'll hand you back control when we reach the ground." Ulciscor said.

Aerin watched as Ulciscor took her body and did barrel rolls and screwdrivers.

"Ul, I want to get on the ground ALIVE." Aerin quipped.

_"You need to learn how to calm down, Aerin." _Ulciscor fired back.

The ground was slowly approaching them. The trees started to look bigger, and Aerin could even make out a dried-up riverbed. Koutan had deployed his parachute.

Ulciscor sucked his teeth. _"This was getting fun, too..." _He deployed his parachute, and their rapid descent to the Earth slowed down. The secondary parachute was deployed soon after, and Aerin was on her way down to the forest floor at a comfortable speed.

_"All yours, princess."_ Ulciscor said. Aerin was moved back to the proverbial driver's seat of her body, and felt Ulciscor settle down in her mind. She touched down on the forest floor, and her parachute automatically retracted into her backpack.

"I see that you're still in one piece." Koutan said. "That wasn't too bad, wasn't it?"

"Not at all." Aerin said.

_"You guys on the ground yet?" _Sayo's voice came through the earpiece.

"Just touched down." Koutan said. "We're making our way to the hill now."

_"Alright. Contact me again when you guys get set up." _Sayo said, before the line cut off.

xxxxx

Koutan adjusted the straps on his backpack. "We're going to be running about half a mile that way." He pointed towards a hill. Koutan then pulled up a holo display of the map. This time, there two more dots on the center map - a bright blue dot, and a bright violet dot. There were a large amount of red dots scattered across the map.

"We've gotta haul ass if we want to have enough time to set up." Koutan said, highlighting an area on his map before showing it to Aerin. "Try to keep up, princess."

It was the third time that day that Aerin was called "princess".

A few seconds later, the two of them were in a full-blown sprint over to the site.

"This might be a little late to ask, but aren't you a summoner? This doesn't seem like something summoners do..." Aerin said.

"None of the city-states have taken responsibility for this incident. When nobody takes responsibility, the case gets sent to the highest level of government on the continent - the Institute. We summoners double as a military force when these kinds of things occur. In fact, some of the summoners tried to become champions, but were so strong that they were forbidden to do so. People like me or Sayo, for example." Koutan explained.

"Today I learned..." Aerin said.

"Normally, we only get called in when shit hits the fan. Recently, we've been getting called in almost every day, and it's putting a strain on the summoning match schedule." Koutan said. "In fact, I think another war is about to break out."

They had reached the hill. Koutan slowed down a little as he climbed up to the summit. On top of the hill, Koutan and Aerin had visibility for miles.

Aerin caught her first glimpse of the rampant tribe. They looked absolutely nothing like human beings. Purplish exoskeletons, insect-like eyes and claws vaguely reminded Aerin of a League champion. The grass they touched as they walked withered and died, leaving a trail of brown.

Koutan was almost done setting up. All of their supplies were laid out neatly on the ground. Koutan picked up a metal canister, pushed a button on its side, and watched as it expanded into a huge hammer. It looked impressive. Standing at least seven feet tall, Aerin watched in awe as the carvings on the side of the hammer glowed a faint cyan, indicating that the weapon was magical.

"HQ? We're set up." Koutan said into the earpiece.

_"Great. Everything's going according to plan so far." _Sayo's voice came over the earpiece once again. _"Satellite images show that there's less than a hundred. Nothing you can't handle, but don't let your guard down. I would hate having to report that a summoner and a champion candidate died out in the field."_

_xxxxx_

The earpiece went quiet.

Kou turned towards Aerin.

"Let's assess the situation." Kou said. "There's less than a hundred around our location. Although it's time-consuming to bring them down one by one, we avoid the risk of being caught off guard if fight each of them together. Reinforcements are coming soon, so we should at least hold out until they arrive."

"Let's start with that one." Aerin pointed to a monster near the foot of the hill. It was clearly larger than some of the other ones, but it hadn't spotted Kou and Aerin yet.

"You want to do the honors?" Kou asked Aerin.

Aerin shook her head. "You go first."

Kou slung the hammer over his shoulder and took off running. Sprinting down the hill, he recited a magical incantation in his head and built up speed for his first attack. He spotted a ramp-like outcrop in the hill below him, and aimed for it. The momentum from his downhill sprint sent him flying high in the air as the cyan outlines on his hammer glowed brighter and brighter. His bluish-gray irises flickered in the overcast weather as he looked down on the monster.

"Nothing but small fry." he muttered under his breath.

As Kou swung the hammer down, the back side of the hammer was set ablaze as magical flames propelled him down towards the earth.

_"Terra Glatierum!"_

As its name suggests, the earth shattered when he brought the hammer down. A humongous crevice opened in the earth and rapidly made its way towards the monster, followed with sharp stone spirals as high as skyscrapers coming out of the crevice.

That was the signal for Aerin to go.

_"I'll walk you through this, since it's your first time." _Ul said.

Aerin's body moved by itself as she bit the tip of her right index finger. A drop of blood fell to the ground and glowed violet. A dark magical circle consumed the drop of blood and formed a hole in the ground.

Aerin reached down into the hole and pulled out a long, black sword. The etchings on the blade glowed a bright violet as demonic energy was pumped into it.

Aerin noticed a chain made purely of demonic energy attached to the bottom of the hilt. It coiled itself around her hand as the magical circle on the ground disappeared.

"Lend me your power, Ulciscor." Aerin said.

Aerin felt the demonic energy run through her veins as her senses sharpened. Her irises glowed a bright violet.

In similar fashion to Koutan, she took off running downhill. Aerin used demonic energy to send herself flying into the air.

Kou's stone spirals crippled the monster. Dark blood spurted everywhere as smaller stone spirals came out of the large ones, severing every major artery in the monster's body. The monster let out an agonizing screech as it lost its ability to move.

Aerin flew straight at the monster and placed half a dozen cuts on its neck. Focusing demonic energy into her lower body, Aerin used both legs and kicked the monster's head as hard as she could. With a resounding _crack,_ the monster's head flew off its torso and crashed onto the ground behind it. The stone spirals retracted back into the ground, and like a ragdoll, the monster's body collapsed.

After gracefully touching down, Aerin ran over to Kou.

"So, how did I do?" Aerin asked.

"Perfect." Kou said.

Aerin inspected the blade again.

_"The Sword of Oblivion. Not bad for your first weapon." _Ulciscor explained. _"You'll be able to pull out more and more of my weapons as you get stronger, but this is a great weapon to start out with."_

Koutan walked over to what remained of the monster's body and inspected it.

"What's wrong?" Aerin asked anxiously.

Kou walked over to get a closer look at the decomposing body. He pulled out a knife a started picking at it.

Kou cursed under his breath. "It's trying to come back together."

It was true. Although somewhat slowly, the bits and pieces of the "dead" body were definitely struggling to combine themselves back into one.

"I've never seen this before, not even with the Void champions at the League." Koutan said, obviously disgusted.

Kou tapped his earpiece. "How much longer until reinforcements arrive?" He asked.

_"They're en route to your location. Should be dropping out right about now. What's wrong? Did something happen?" _Sayo's voice came over the earpieces.

"I really don't know what's happening, but I do know that we are in some deep shit right now." Kou said.

_" I'll be there in thirty minutes." _Sayo said, shutting off his end of the line.

Kou let out a nervous sigh. "We can still stick to the original plan." he reassured Aerin. "We'll just kill as many of these motherfuckers as we can until Sayo comes to tear these guys a new one."

Aerin checked the time. "Thirty minutes..."

Their backs pressed up against each other. They were surrounded. While they were inspecting the dead body, the other Void monsters had caught onto the scent of rotting flesh. They seemed to have become agitated because of it, and were now multiple times more aggressive than they were before.

"Ten... no, fifteen in our immediate area." Kou said. "Alright, new plan. You pick one and go for him. I'll hold off the rest around you until you're done, then we switch places. We rinse and repeat until we get some breathing room."

Kou eyed the dead body not too far away from them. It was still a ways off from a complete body, but it was definitely making headway.

He also eyed his weapon. A huge, hulking hammer would be less than ideal in these unbelievably close quarters.

Kou muttered an incantation, and the carvings on the hammer glowed a blinding white. He threw it up in the air, and the hammer shattered into pieces. The pieces quickly came back together, this time forming two scythe-like weapons attached to each other at the bottom of the handles with a long chain. He caught them on the way down, and carvings in the side of the blades started glowing, just like they did with the hammer.

"This is much better." Kou said.

Aerin took a deep breath.

"I need more power."

_"Very well."_ Ulciscor quietly said.

A tidal wave of demonic energy flooded Aerin's body. The temperature around her dropped rapidly.

The Blade of Oblivion was suddenly ignited with an eerie, pitch-black flame. The purple etchings shone right through the darkness. Her right eye was also engulfed in the same dark flame. (A/N: Think "Black Rock Shooter")

_"I'll be able to keep you like this for just long enough, until Sayo arrives. I've temporarily removed everything in your mind that I deemed unnecessary. So for now, say goodbye to things like sympathy and fear. I'll keep altruism in there, knowing how you are." _Ulciscor explained. _"This is the second phase of your demon form. I'll think of a name later."_

"Are we ready to go?" Kou asked.

"We are." Aerin said in a stone-cold, monotone voice.

She was more than ready to go.

She was ready to put hell on Earth.

xxxxxx


End file.
